Ask me anything about losing bodyfat and getting shredded.

[Isanloksbrah]

Subbed



I hope to loses my man boobs
When do they start to turn into pecs like what bf %
I'm currently at 25

[anderson1010]

i'm at about 25% bodyfat can u tell me what's the most easy way to lose fat?
i done some research and it says that u need a caloric deficit but why do we still need to lift? for fat loss? or for the muscle to stay?

[Kaynott502]

Last Q. Joe

I saw where Emma said that if you're cutting you're destined to be hungry all the time and the leaner you get the worse the hunger gets. This true for you?

[NTFlipz]

Hey Joseph, thank you for all the help you are giving everyone. It is very appreciated by all of us !

Now to my question,

I have been cutting for about 3 weeks now. I started off with about 11.63% body fat and now I am 10.56%.

I am just wondering if this is too slow? I am at a 500 caloric deficit daily. I weigh 151.7lbs. I am taking 1.5g per LBM (lbs) and I go gym about 3 times a week with cardio 2 times a week.

So is this progress ok ? or do you think its very slow ? Should I increase my protein intake and decrease my carbs? Maybe its cuz I am not including refeed days into my plan :/

Please help. thank you !

Nathan

[DarkFusion09]

Hi joseph im new to this forum,im training bout 1 year,and i have a question,im cutting atm,my height is 5'11,my weight is about 85 kilograms,how can i know exactly how much Carbs and fats do i need per day? about protein i know that i need 2x my body weight.. can u tell me about the carbs and fats? my bmr is about 2000

Thanks

[gerryh777]

i'm at about 25% bodyfat can u tell me what's the most easy way to lose fat?
i done some research and it says that u need a caloric deficit but why do we still need to lift? for fat loss? or for the muscle to stay?

I am sure Josef will respond but your questions are very basic and I can also give you some guidance. There is not an "easy" or "difficult" way to lose fat. There is only one: you need to burn more calories per day than you consume. You can do this in many ways....eating less, exercising more, or a combination of both, which is the best way to do it. You need to figure out, based on your height/weight/age/activity level what is your average calorie expenditure per day. There are many calculators online that can help you. Take that number and substract 500. Those are the calories you will eat...a deficit of about 500 per day. With that alone you should lose about 1lb per week.

The problem is that our bodies adapt. And if you don't exercise and just do your 500 calorie deficit pretty soon you will stop losing weight. Your body will adapt to using less calories. That is why you have to also exercise.

When you do cardio you burn calories, and that adds to the deficit. But if you don't lift weights then your body will compensate for that calorie deficit by burning fat AND muscle. If you only do cardio that is exactly what will happen. You will lose weight but you will not look good. That is why you see many marathon runners who are skinny (no muscle) and still have a little belly. You will lose "weight" but a good portion of that will be muscle.

If you are interested in only losing "fat" then you need to convince your body that even if you are eating less calories than needed, it needs to keep the muscle. And you do that by lifting weights. Your body will "see" that you need to keep muscle because you are using it and only go to fat stores to compensate for your calorie deficit.

And on top of that, when you lift weights you elevate your metabolism for the next 24-48 hours because your body needs energy to repair itself. So you burn even more calories.

So calculate your calorie maintenance, substract 500, eat that daily, make sure you eat 1gr of protein per lb of weight, cut simple carbs, and start lifting weights. You are obviously a beginner so a full body program 3 times a week (with cardio on the days you don't lift) would be great for you.

Good luck.

[derekwalter]

Bulk then cut cuz when u lose the fat u want to have some muscularity and have a shape u don't want to be a smaller version of ur old self hoped that helped

Disagree. Of he's at 30% BF, he needs to cut. And yes he should be weight training, muscle burns fat. If he's not weight training, he'll certainly see newbie gains even if he's in a calorie deficit.
I've been lifting seriously only a year and have lost fat and gained muscle ( only dropped 10 lbs, but noticeably leaner and more muscle) all while increasing weights and reps consistently on a deficit. I know that at some point I'll plateau, and then do a final cut to where I want to be, then start bulking.... Probably after the summer.

As a former fatty (lost almost 70 lbs in 2 1/2 years), getting rid of the fat is goal #1.

Just my 2 cents.

[hoo7h]

Hello

I have lost around 20 kilos when I was 14 years old, but I regained it within 3 years

2 months ago, I used to be 115kg (253), but I lost around 15 kg and now I am 100 (220)
Even though I weight a lot people don't see me as an overweight guy, actually some people think me as a bodybuilder when they see me for the first time.
I have a very wide shoulders and thick bones.
I lose weight very fast, and gain it moderately
Probably the reason of my overweight is my bad habits, a bigmac and EATING spoons of mayo, another 5 of ketchup (Yes, 5 spoons)

This time my goal is six pack, no stopping, I WANT a very visible six pack and I want to be able to do unlimited pull ups.


OK what would you suggest ?

[Chillii]

Hey man im 16 lost 13 kgs. And shedding up And building lean muscle. Extreemely hard work but i am dedicated and Just wanted to know how low should my sugar intake be to get them bottom abs showing. I have top twp abs and the v but want that last inner v shape under the top four to stand out. I just dropped my sigar intake from 65g daily to 45g but is basically all natural sugars from fruit, and things like honey in oats. Is this okay? Thanks

[kushy]

Hey man, problem!!! You seem pretty ripped (to say the least). Iv got cancun in 3months. I want to get a flat belly before I go. My pictures are pretty old and i have put on a good bit of muscle. However over the last month i have been eating the same meals pretty much every day. Protein shake in the morning, 4 eggs 2 hours later 1-2chicken breasts for lunch, fruit 2 hours later after the gym a shake then chicken for dinner. Iv not seemed to have lost a lb at all. I do weights 6 days a week and always go hard! HELP PLEASE

[oghek44]

hello, i'm a newbie to all this and would like to know, how can i loose body fat and maintain the same weight i have now? my body fat is 20% and i weight around 180lbs i'm 6'4ft so i look really thin and therefore don't want to look thinner when i loose body fat, i want to turn body fat into muscle, i been working out a lot lately too, thank you for all the help guys and is it ok if i add anybody as my friend on here? thank you again

[Nezaralansari]

Disagree. Of he's at 30% BF, he needs to cut. And yes he should be weight training, muscle burns fat. If he's not weight training, he'll certainly see newbie gains even if he's in a calorie deficit.
I've been lifting seriously only a year and have lost fat and gained muscle ( only dropped 10 lbs, but noticeably leaner and more muscle) all while increasing weights and reps consistently on a deficit. I know that at some point I'll plateau, and then do a final cut to where I want to be, then start bulking.... Probably after the summer.

As a former fatty (lost almost 70 lbs in 2 1/2 years), getting rid of the fat is goal #1.

Just my 2 cents.

That's really good you have achieved alot very impressive

back when I was 31% bf I started to bulk and cut and had about 3 bulks and 2 cuts and now I am at 12% bf so it's personal preference relly because I just found it very easy to stay with my workouts and have the ability to have more verity in my workouts just because of the muscle I put on on first bulk and the fact that muscle is more active than fat a bulk first can really aid his fat loss and maybe accelerate the process

[daw0731]

Hi joseph im new to this forum,im training bout 1 year,and i have a question,im cutting atm,my height is 5'11,my weight is about 85 kilograms,how can i know exactly how much Carbs and fats do i need per day? about protein i know that i need 2x my body weight.. can u tell me about the carbs and fats? my bmr is about 2000

Thanks

When reading through the thread, you can see that Josef has consistently recommended the following method for determining your Macros:

Protein = 1g per lb of Lean Body Mass
Fat = .4g per lb of Lean Body Mass
Carbs = 2000 - 4*protein - 9*fat

The 2000 is because that is what you said your TDEE was. Also, there are a ton of macro calculators online. Just search for them, and find one that you like. I personally like 1percentedge.com/IFcalc.

Good luck man!

[daw0731]

Hello

I have lost around 20 kilos when I was 14 years old, but I regained it within 3 years

2 months ago, I used to be 115kg (253), but I lost around 15 kg and now I am 100 (220)
Even though I weight a lot people don't see me as an overweight guy, actually some people think me as a bodybuilder when they see me for the first time.
I have a very wide shoulders and thick bones.
I lose weight very fast, and gain it moderately
Probably the reason of my overweight is my bad habits, a bigmac and EATING spoons of mayo, another 5 of ketchup (Yes, 5 spoons)

This time my goal is six pack, no stopping, I WANT a very visible six pack and I want to be able to do unlimited pull ups.


OK what would you suggest ?

Step 1: Stop eating spoon fulls of condiments. For two reasons, first, and most importantly, that's just disgusting, and secondly, there is a lot of crap in each of those.

Step 2: Determine your TDEE - just search "maintenance calorie calculator" in google.

Step 3: Eat 500 calories less than your TDEE, and hit all of your macros.

[daw0731]

I have been cutting since June. I have stopped losing weight, so I took last week off from my diet. I ate at about my maintenance, and this week picked up my diet again (I would like to cut until the end of February - trying to lose another 3-5 lbs). If I did my re feed week correctly, will I see some weight loss this week?

Thanks.

[Nezaralansari]

Thanks and does takeing a pre workout affect me in any negative way since I am 14

[kidwave]

How much fiber would you recommend per day?

[nmilton2191]

You're definitely an inspiration and it's great that you take the time to answer peoples questions. I have always been into fitness but this is really my first time cutting or really taking it all more seriously. With that being said, I have a few questions.

It seems that most of the responses on this forum mention the "calorie deficit" , which makes complete sense, but i am having trouble excluding the macronutrient specificity with this concept. By this, one can assume that eating 2000 cals of protein and complex carbs would have the same effect as eating 2000 cals of fat and simple carbs, but we know that the different macros all have specific and different biochemical pathways.

My question is, and I have trouble understanding how the answer could be yes, is if it is fair or accurate to make this assumption Isn't it important to pay closer attention to the quality of the cals and ratios of the macronutrients you take in? And how important is nutrient timing? Is there much debate on which is more important; calorie deficit or biochem pathways?

[Julian46]

I want to lose chest fat and belly fat. I dont have a gym membership. I only have dumbbells and a incline/flat/decline bench.
I use to be 180lbs but i wish to get back to 155 or 160. i started to get man boobs after high school. and i want to lose it and the belly fat. please help.

[garysullivan83]

Hi Josef,

looking good!!

when refeeding. do you workout on refeed day and or day after?

also what type of workout? I heard on the day endurance full body workouts are benificial to help restore glycogen levels and stength the day after when you're at your strongest after the carb overload?

[ywinter]

Yo Joe,

How much grams of fat do you think is optimal during cut/bulk? Why?
I've done some research and most sources suggest between 0.4g - 0.5g per pounds BW (= when low to avg fat percentage).
I know that fat has a testorone enhancing effect, especially satured fats, but do you know from what point there is no more increase noticable?

I've read somewhere that you can go up to 1g x BW?
Wouldn't that be too much and instead just focus on some more carbs, since they are the muscle's primary fuel source?

Thanks!

[theprophet004]

mr. rakich,
175cm, 75kg, 15% bf, what would you do?

a) clean bulking during summer
b) little cut, maybe 6 weeks, to 12% and then clean bulking
c) get really shredded 10% and lower

Would love to be shredded but don´t know if there will be enough mass?

thanks and sorry for my bad english

[djangochained]

I am on a fat loss diet. do i eat the same calories on an off day ? if yes, then where does the energy for the workout go?? if no, then how much shud i reduce... and how much of dietary cholestrol is safe? i eat liver daily.thanx

[gabrielejm]

I'm currently trying to cut down to the 6-8% range from around 16%ish. Have you heard of the feast/fast method when it comes to cheat days? If I do this weekly, could I still get decent results with fat loss?

[imid]

Hey Josef,

I know you recommend losing 1-1.5 lbs per week. I have been losing at about .8-1 lbs per week. I am now down to 10% Bodyfat. Is it safe to drop down to 1.5 lbs per week or will I see muscle loss at that rate and bodyfat.

Thanks!

[HWouter]

Hello Josef, i was thinking about taking a week off from the gym because i had some signs of overtraining. and i've read some articles on the internet that it would be good to take a week off from the gym. my question is : do you take weeks off from the gym every once in a while ? and does this harm your physique or strenght ?

[JOSEF RAKICH]

Hello first of all thank you for reply,
I currrently dont lose weights and im now 6/7% bf. I think i crash a little bit cuz i train 1.5 hour and cardio like a hour and burn 1000 kcAls with cArdio, and i eat 1700 so i think its better to stop the cardio and just train and losing fat with me dieet, how do you think about it?

I doubt you are actually 6-7% body fat, do you have any pics to upload?

It seems to me that your metabolic rate is crushed, you need to revamp it. Your icy is just simply not burning calories, its in survival mode basically.

Subbed



I hope to loses my man boobs
When do they start to turn into pecs like what bf %
I'm currently at 25

Depends, everyone is different. Just keep dieting until you get there and don't stop!

i'm at about 25% bodyfat can u tell me what's the most easy way to lose fat?
i done some research and it says that u need a caloric deficit but why do we still need to lift? for fat loss? or for the muscle to stay?

Calorie deficit diet + cardio + consistency = results.

You don't HAVE to lift, ut it is very beneficial in regards to fat loss and burning calories.

Last Q. Joe

I saw where Emma said that if you're cutting you're destined to be hungry all the time and the leaner you get the worse the hunger gets. This true for you?

Yes somewhat true, but not all the time.

Hey Joseph, thank you for all the help you are giving everyone. It is very appreciated by all of us !

Now to my question,

I have been cutting for about 3 weeks now. I started off with about 11.63% body fat and now I am 10.56%.

I am just wondering if this is too slow? I am at a 500 caloric deficit daily. I weigh 151.7lbs. I am taking 1.5g per LBM (lbs) and I go gym about 3 times a week with cardio 2 times a week.

So is this progress ok ? or do you think its very slow ? Should I increase my protein intake and decrease my carbs? Maybe its cuz I am not including refeed days into my plan :/

Please help. thank you !

Nathan

No problem Nathan!

That seems fine to me, slow is the best way to go about dieting in especially if you are already somewhat lean to begin with..

Hi joseph im new to this forum,im training bout 1 year,and i have a question,im cutting atm,my height is 5'11,my weight is about 85 kilograms,how can i know exactly how much Carbs and fats do i need per day? about protein i know that i need 2x my body weight.. can u tell me about the carbs and fats? my bmr is about 2000

Thanks

Protein = 1g per pound of LBW

Fat = 0.4g per pound of LBW

Carbs = remaining calories

Hello

I have lost around 20 kilos when I was 14 years old, but I regained it within 3 years

2 months ago, I used to be 115kg (253), but I lost around 15 kg and now I am 100 (220)
Even though I weight a lot people don't see me as an overweight guy, actually some people think me as a bodybuilder when they see me for the first time.
I have a very wide shoulders and thick bones.
I lose weight very fast, and gain it moderately
Probably the reason of my overweight is my bad habits, a bigmac and EATING spoons of mayo, another 5 of ketchup (Yes, 5 spoons)

This time my goal is six pack, no stopping, I WANT a very visible six pack and I want to be able to do unlimited pull ups.


OK what would you suggest ?

Congrats so far on the 20kg loss!

You eat spoons of mayo!? Yes that is a problem right there.. Sure you could if you fit it into your macros, but its just silly..

If you want bro I can put you on a perfect meal plan, just check out my website on what I have on offer: www.JosefRakichFitness.com

Hey man im 16 lost 13 kgs. And shedding up And building lean muscle. Extreemely hard work but i am dedicated and Just wanted to know how low should my sugar intake be to get them bottom abs showing. I have top twp abs and the v but want that last inner v shape under the top four to stand out. I just dropped my sigar intake from 65g daily to 45g but is basically all natural sugars from fruit, and things like honey in oats. Is this okay? Thanks

Sugar intake is irrelevant its overall calories that matter, just make sure you meet your macro requirements.

Its not sugar its the calories!

Hey man, problem!!! You seem pretty ripped (to say the least). Iv got cancun in 3months. I want to get a flat belly before I go. My pictures are pretty old and i have put on a good bit of muscle. However over the last month i have been eating the same meals pretty much every day. Protein shake in the morning, 4 eggs 2 hours later 1-2chicken breasts for lunch, fruit 2 hours later after the gym a shake then chicken for dinner. Iv not seemed to have lost a lb at all. I do weights 6 days a week and always go hard! HELP PLEASE

Need to decrease calories or increase the cardio you do, you need to simply burn more calories than what you are consuming and what your body needs/burns on a daily basis.

[JOSEF RAKICH]

hello, i'm a newbie to all this and would like to know, how can i loose body fat and maintain the same weight i have now? my body fat is 20% and i weight around 180lbs i'm 6'4ft so i look really thin and therefore don't want to look thinner when i loose body fat, i want to turn body fat into muscle, i been working out a lot lately too, thank you for all the help guys and is it ok if i add anybody as my friend on here? thank you again

Calorie deficit diet + cardio.

Same answer to EVERYONE who asks how to lose body fat.

I have been cutting since June. I have stopped losing weight, so I took last week off from my diet. I ate at about my maintenance, and this week picked up my diet again (I would like to cut until the end of February - trying to lose another 3-5 lbs). If I did my re feed week correctly, will I see some weight loss this week?

Thanks.

Yes you should do presuming you go back into a calorie deficit and your re-feed day was correct.

Thanks and does takeing a pre workout affect me in any negative way since I am 14

Its fine.

How much fiber would you recommend per day?

35g around about, give or take. I usually consume a bit more.

You're definitely an inspiration and it's great that you take the time to answer peoples questions. I have always been into fitness but this is really my first time cutting or really taking it all more seriously. With that being said, I have a few questions.

It seems that most of the responses on this forum mention the "calorie deficit" , which makes complete sense, but i am having trouble excluding the macronutrient specificity with this concept. By this, one can assume that eating 2000 cals of protein and complex carbs would have the same effect as eating 2000 cals of fat and simple carbs, but we know that the different macros all have specific and different biochemical pathways.

My question is, and I have trouble understanding how the answer could be yes, is if it is fair or accurate to make this assumption Isn't it important to pay closer attention to the quality of the cals and ratios of the macronutrients you take in? And how important is nutrient timing? Is there much debate on which is more important; calorie deficit or biochem pathways?

Well the macro split would be different and in one scenario you have them with no protein intake? Just carbs and fats? Well yes they will lose some muscle because of this, I mention that protein and fat MINIMUM requirements must be met.

I want to lose chest fat and belly fat. I dont have a gym membership. I only have dumbbells and a incline/flat/decline bench.
I use to be 180lbs but i wish to get back to 155 or 160. i started to get man boobs after high school. and i want to lose it and the belly fat. please help.

Cannot spot reduce as such, just lose your overall body fat and you will lose your chest fat also.. Best thing you could do would be to sign up to your local gym and follow a good meal plan and workout program, stay consistent and the result will come.

If you want help and want me to create you a meal plan or workout program just visit my website:

www.JosefRakichFitness.com

Hi Josef,

looking good!!

when refeeding. do you workout on refeed day and or day after?

also what type of workout? I heard on the day endurance full body workouts are benificial to help restore glycogen levels and stength the day after when you're at your strongest after the carb overload?

It does not matter, I have done both in the past.

Yo Joe,

How much grams of fat do you think is optimal during cut/bulk? Why?
I've done some research and most sources suggest between 0.4g - 0.5g per pounds BW (= when low to avg fat percentage).
I know that fat has a testorone enhancing effect, especially satured fats, but do you know from what point there is no more increase noticable?

I've read somewhere that you can go up to 1g x BW?
Wouldn't that be too much and instead just focus on some more carbs, since they are the muscle's primary fuel source?

Thanks!

0.4g per pound of your LEAN body weight for normal hormone function, testosterone production etc..

MAKE SURE YOU EAT FAT!

So many people go on crazy low fat diets, its just silly.. Fat is very important for the human body, we all need fat for our body and brain to function properly. Fat is also very important in hormone regulation especially testosterone production! Going on a low fat diet is just counter productive. Fat does not make you fat, excess calories make you fat no matter what macronutrient those calories come from. Eat fat to help you lose fat!

Everyone should aim for at least 0.4grams of fat per pound of there LEAN body weight (your overall bodyweight subtract your body fat percentage) so for example if you weigh 200lbs at 22% body fat you should consume at least 62g of fat per day (200 - 22% = 156lbs of LBW x 0.4 = 62.4). Don't be afraid of it.

You can technically consume as much as you like as long as it does not exceed calorie requirements and allows you to get your other macros in.

mr. rakich,
175cm, 75kg, 15% bf, what would you do?

a) clean bulking during summer
b) little cut, maybe 6 weeks, to 12% and then clean bulking
c) get really shredded 10% and lower

Would love to be shredded but don´t know if there will be enough mass?

thanks and sorry for my bad english

Hard to say without pics.. Upload some pics and I will advise you from there.

I am on a fat loss diet. do i eat the same calories on an off day ? if yes, then where does the energy for the workout go?? if no, then how much shud i reduce... and how much of dietary cholestrol is safe? i eat liver daily.thanx

Yes I like to keep things consistent, so same calories on off days as training days, some people tend to lower it due to the fact the are burning less calories but I like to keep it the same. Your body works on a much larger time frame anyway like I have mentioned before.

I'm currently trying to cut down to the 6-8% range from around 16%ish. Have you heard of the feast/fast method when it comes to cheat days? If I do this weekly, could I still get decent results with fat loss?

Explain your idea of feast/fast.

Again it will all depend on calories in VS calories out.

Hey Josef,

I know you recommend losing 1-1.5 lbs per week. I have been losing at about .8-1 lbs per week. I am now down to 10% Bodyfat. Is it safe to drop down to 1.5 lbs per week or will I see muscle loss at that rate and bodyfat.

Thanks!

Thats fine at the rate you are going, the slower the better. Decrease calorie somewhat if you wish to speed things up a bit.

[KastriotRB]

Yo mate, im cutting down atm. I dont feel to be "fat" and then to cut just before summer. So im trying to be "lean" all year around. my macros for my cutting "diet" if u can call it is

Protein 270.2g
Carbohydrate 158.7g
Fat 67.1g
Total Calories 2319.5

So im wondering if this is good? i work 2 times a week (physical work) and work out 6 times a week, each body part twice. (Monday: Chest/Bi) (Tuesday: Back/Tri) (Wednesday: Shoulders/leg) (Thursday: Chest/back) (Fridag:Bi/Tri) (Saturday:Shoulders/legs) and repeat again , been doing this for 1 month now soon. Felt like trying something new, since i always have worked out each muscle group once instead of twice.

my BF is around: 10/12%, and im "stuck" here at the moment. Any advice what i can do? (maybe lower, but i dont want to be kind with my self, so many ppl saying they are 5/6% when they are at 9+)

So how dose this looks for u, current weight is 93kg and 188cm tall, my main goal is to go down to 86kg with under 8% BF. would be awesome if u got some advice for me.

I DONT DO CARDIO!

[bjnor]

(Got my macros and calories figured out)

Lets say I am about 13% now.
How long would it take to get to sub 10 if my calorie deficit was 500?
In the beginning I would take one refeed each 14 days, after while I will include a refeed every day.

How long would it take to get to sub 10? 8 weeks?